Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC, 漢翔航空工業) has signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) with foreign companies to collaborate on technologies related to tanks, warplanes and drones, the company said in a statement yesterday.
Last week, AIDC chairman Hu Kai-hung (胡開宏) and AIDC personnel visited the UK and signed the MOUs while attending the biannual Farnborough International Airshow.
The MOUs include an agreement to collaborate on military technologies for reconnaissance, defense and attack, are expected to enhance AIDC’s technology and provide complete support for the armed forces, he said.
Photo: Bloomberg
The nation’s ability to defend itself independently stems from its local military capability, Hu said, adding that AIDC would spare no effort boosting Taiwan’s independent defense capabilities.
AIDC took the first step by allying with a European aviation giant to jointly innovate drone countermeasures, as drone technology is developing rapidly worldwide.
Combining its high-quality techniques in avionics and system integration with the European company’s counter-uncrewed aircraft systems, AIDC could quickly tap into the drone market at home and abroad, while incorporating the domestic aerospace supply chain in Taiwan to develop defense devices for detection and interference that would meet different client needs.
Next, AIDC collaborated with a major US defense contractor on the upgrade of the M60 Main Battle Tank, and maintenance of 600-gallon fuel tanks, in line with the armed force’s project to upgrade 460 M60A3 Tanks.
The US defense contractor, having assisted many countries in upgrading more than 1,000 M60A3 Tanks, would transfer technology to AIDC and help develop its maintenance abilities, AIDC said, adding that it would draw on its successful experiences from its F-16 Maintenance Center, AIDC said.
The US company also licensed AIDC to maintain and repair the 600-gallon wing fuel tanks for F-16 fighter jets, helping to expand the servicing scope of the F-16 Maintenance Center, AIDC said.
As AIDC improved the performance of 140 serving F-16A/B fighters last year in line with the government’s Project Soaring Phoenix (鳳翔專案), and having purchased more than 60 F-16V Block 70 fighters from the US Air Force, Taiwan would soon have a fleet of more than 200 F-16V fighter jets — the largest air fleet in Asia.
Having been the primary contractor of the F-16 Maintenance Center and accumulating considerable logistics and maintenance experience locally in Taiwan, AIDC would develop maintenance abilities in collaboration with the US company to provide immediate services for the air force, AICD said.
Meanwhile, AIDC has also signed a deal with the US aviation system manufacturer that produces the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), which is an advanced aviation device that helps pilots track and target enemy fighters.
The US company could offer fast delivery and competitive prices via commercial sales to promote the JHMCS business jointly with AIDC, while also providing technical support for AIDC to help maintain and repair the JHMCS.
By equipping F-16V fighter jets with the JHMCS, AIDC aims to directly boost the air force’s military strength, the statement said.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
IDENTITY SHIFT: Asked to choose to identify as either Taiwanese or Chinese, 83.3 percent of respondents chose Taiwanese, while 8.4 percent chose Chinese An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese, 71.5 percent, think that Taiwan should compete in international competitions under the name “Taiwan,” a Taiwan Brain Trust survey published yesterday showed. Referring to Taiwan’s victory last month at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12, the survey results showed that 89.1 percent of respondents said that Taiwan’s exceptional performance in sporting competitions furthers national unity. Only 18.8 percent of respondents supported Taiwanese teams’ continued use of the name “Chinese Taipei” in international sporting competitions, the survey showed. Among Taiwan’s leading political parties, the name “Team Taiwan” was supported by 91.1 percent of self-identified Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters,
RSS